Biggest governor landslides in Texas
The biggest landslide in a Texas governor’s race was in 1940, a margin of 88.9 points. W. Lee O'Daniel beat George C. Hopkins, 1,019,338 to 59,895. Next widest are 1936 (85.9 points) and 1944 (81.9 points).
Every state is ranked together on Biggest governor landslides. For every gubernatorial race Texas has held, special elections included, see the Texas governor hub.
What is the biggest landslide in a Texas governor’s race?
The widest margin in a Texas gubernatorial general election came in 1940, 88.9 points. W. Lee O'Daniel beat George C. Hopkins, 1,019,338 to 59,895. Next are 1936 (85.9 points) and 1944 (81.9 points).
Why do some huge wins not appear?
A blowout only counts here when somebody real finished second, which means at least 5% of the vote. Without that rule the list fills with uncontested races and with contests where the record is simply missing the major opponent, both of which show the winner near 100%.
Does this include recalls and special elections?
No, only regular general elections for governor. The Texas governor hub lists every race including specials and recalls.
| # | Election | Result | Votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1940 | W. Lee O'Daniel D def. George C. Hopkins R | 1,019,338 – 59,895 | +88.9 points |
| 2 | 1936 | James V Allred D def. C.O. Harris R | 782,083 – 58,842 | +85.9 points |
| 3 | 1944 | Coke R. Stevenson D def. B. J. Peasley R | 1,007,826 – 100,287 | +81.9 points |
| 4 | 1950 | Allan Shivers D def. Ralph W. Currie R | 355,010 – 39,737 | +79.9 points |
| 5 | 1954 | Allan Shivers D def. Tod R. Adams R | 569,533 – 66,154 | +79.0 points |
| 6 | 1926 | Dan Moody D def. H. H. Haines R | 233,002 – 34,819 | +73.8 points |
| 7 | 1914 | James E. Ferguson D def. E.R. Meitzen S | 176,599 – 24,977 | +70.4 points |
| 8 | 1948 | Beauford H. Jester D def. Alvin H. Lane R | 1,024,160 – 177,399 | +70.0 points |
| 9 | 1912 | Oscar Branch Colquitt D def. Reddin Andrews S | 234,352 – 25,258 | +69.4 points |
| 10 | 1918 | William P. Hobby D def. Charles Albert Boynton R | 148,982 – 26,713 | +68.9 points |
| 11 | 1916 | James E. Ferguson D def. R. B. Creager R | 296,667 – 49,118 | +68.1 points |
| 12 | 1910 | Oscar Branch Colquitt D def. J. O. Terrell R | 174,596 – 26,191 | +67.8 points |
| 13 | 1845 | James P. Henderson I def. James B. Miller I | 8,190 – 1,672 | +66.1 points |
| 14 | 1906 | Thomas Mitchell Campbell D def. C. A. Gray R | 149,105 – 23,771 | +65.2 points |
| 15 | 1928 | Dan Moody D def. W. H. Holmes R | 582,968 – 123,337 | +65.0 points |
| 16 | 1922 | Pat Morris Neff D def. William Hawley Atwell R | 334,199 – 73,327 | +64.0 points |
| 17 | 1956 | Price Daniel D def. William R. Bryant R | 1,350,736 – 261,283 | +63.1 points |
| 18 | 1930 | Ross S. Sterling D def. William E. Talbot R | 252,738 – 62,224 | +60.3 points |
| 19 | 1866 | James W. Throckmorton D def. Elisha M. Pease R | 48,631 – 12,051 | +60.2 points |
| 20 | 1902 | S. W. T. Lanham D def. George W. Burkett R | 269,076 – 65,706 | +56.6 points |
| 21 | 1890 | Jim Hogg D def. Webster Flanagan R | 262,432 – 77,742 | +53.9 points |
| 22 | 1904 | S. W. T. Lanham D def. J. G. Lowden R | 206,167 – 56,865 | +53.3 points |
| 23 | 1886 | Lawrence Sullivan Ross D def. Archelaus M. Cochran R | 228,776 – 65,236 | +52.2 points |
| 24 | 1876 | Richard Coke D def. William Chambers R | 150,581 – 50,030 | +50.2 points |
| 25 | 1908 | Thomas Mitchell Campbell D def. John N. Simpson R | 218,956 – 73,305 | +48.4 points |